This is the 24th and likely final blog post in a series that share my experiences as a first time BC provincial MLA candidate in a non-partisan way. My name is Duane Nickull, the BC Conservative Party candidate for Vancouver-Point Grey. I ran in a provincial election in the incumbent Premier Christy Clark‘s home riding against David Eby, a popular NDP candidate in the election, Francoise Raunet (Green Party) and several worthy independents. David Eby has prevailed, pending recounts.

I am bloodied but unbowed. Last nights election turned out much different than I expected. The optimist in me clung to a belief that the hundreds of people who told me “I want to vote for you but I cannot bring myself to vote BC Conservative” would at the last minute make the mark beside my name. They did not. When I realized some people did not understand the voting process, I held a small amount of hope they would educate themselves and go into vote at the last minute. They did not. My hope was dashed when a person who had sworn they would vote for me had a conversation that went something like this:

Her: I just found out I cannot vote for you because I have to vote for my rider.
Me: Do you mean riding?
Her: Yeah. Yeah. The area where I live. My friends told me we can only vote in that area.
Me: Yes. That is correct.
Her: Well Christy Clark is in our rider so we all have to vote for her.
Me (Thinking to myself): [Note: There is no way I can write what I am really thinking here.]
Me: That is okay. My name will be on the ballot beside her name. You can vote for me instead of her.
Her: No. She is the premier and in my area. I’m pretty sure we have to vote for her.

At this point I left and realized if she was going to vote for me she would also need to know my name (which she did not). Rather than trying to explain the process I decided to get a coffee and finish replying to emails from people who at least understood the voting process.

I accomplished what I wanted to in this election. I got through it unscathed. The issues I ran on are now on the public’s mind. I think I have proven myself a candidate that is able to run at the provincial level. All the hundreds of media articles were neutral to positive which is a good accomplishment. No negatives is rare. I learned that being centralist is not going to win an election. I also feel that a lot of people voted out of fear of the other side.

The hardest part of it all was coming to grips with the fact that I was totally unprepared for what I needed to do. If I had to describe my overall experience, I would sum it up as follows.

“The election campaign felt like a massive, multi-dimensional game of chess with the rules not revealed to me, on a board I could not see the size or shape of, with pieces that were obscured from my view.”

OK, now on to the formalities. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge David Eby, the new MLA who we have democratically chosen to represent our riding in Victoria. I want to thank Francoise Raunet, William, Marissa, Hollis, Ms. Clark and the other candidates who I ran with for a respectful race. David, represent us well in Victoria!

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a campaign. I want to thank all those who worked on my campaign and the strategists who gave up their sunny weekends and donated time in other ways. Robert, Kimberley, Stephen, Sandra, Betty, Lauren, Jim, Cali, Ian, Thomas and other, thank you!

I want to thank my friends who encouraged me and helped with social media, some from as far away as golf courses in Australia. Major thank you’s to those who donated money. I will be sending out official thank you letters soon.

Most of all I want to thank my family. My wife has stood beside me as we pursued this from the first day. Her support has been unwavering and I could not have done this without her.

Thank you to the media and especially the Vancouver Sun. Marcella, Alise – thank you also!

I am happy for the politeness and dignity I have been shown during this election by my political opponents and their followers. In Vancouver-Point Grey, we have shown the world we can pursue different ideals, yet remain civilized, friendly and respectful of the opinions of others. We set high standards by participating in non-partisan events like BikeToVote and constructively campaigned in a manner than the voters deserve. The only regret is that Christy Clark did not show up to any of the events.

I am a better person for the experience and feel my life has been made richer by those whom I have met on the election campaign trail. Congratulations to all the MLA’s who secured their seats.

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